Dhulikhel (Kavrepalanchok). It has been three years since Neeraj Pulami of Mahabharat Rural Municipality-5 started earning income from coffee farming. Since coffee farming yields more income than corn, he has now abandoned corn and started coffee farming.
Earlier, he was dependent on corn farming. He started farming by planting 600 coffee plants three years ago and is currently digging holes throughout the field in preparation for planting new plants. “This year alone, 400 kilos have been harvested,” he said. “Some have been sold, some are left.” Together with his brothers, they have planted coffee on 18 ropanis. He says that he sells raw coffee for Rs 130 per kg and up to Rs 830 after cleaning and drying.
Another farmer from the same village, Lal Bahadur Moktan, who started small-scale coffee farming about 10 years ago, has also given priority to coffee farming as he earns better income from coffee than from maize farming. Moktan says that production can be increased further if the local government arranges for irrigation. Neeraj and Lal Bahadur are not the only ones. Most of the farmers here have been attracted to coffee farming. Local Kanchha Blon says that since the coffee produced does not have to be sold in the market, traders come to buy it at home, it has also helped in earning a living.
While corn used to be the only food crop, coffee has become everyone’s choice over corn because it can be used to earn cash, he says.
Jagat Bahadur and Shankhlal Thokar of Lamagaun, Koltar, Mahabharat Rural Municipality-4 have been earning more than Rs. 1.5 million annually by cultivating coffee. Ward no. Ward 5 Chairman Vijay Rana Magar said that after farmers started showing interest in coffee farming, coffee production was promoted as a campaign.
He said that since irrigation is necessary, the living standards of the farmers here can be changed if the rural municipality and the provincial government provide support. Mahabharat Small Farmers Agricultural Cooperative Society Limited has been providing necessary training, processing machines, drying wire mesh, tarpaulins and other materials for coffee, said the organization’s chairman Hasta Bahadur Darlami.
Mahabharat Rural Municipality Chairman Kanchhalal Jimba said that since coffee farming is a viable means of supporting farmers’ economic income, the municipality is commercializing farming with grants.
While the first needs of the people of the hills are roads and electricity, he said that they are currently focusing on coffee production to raise the standard of living of the citizens and are distributing seedlings, processing equipment and other materials.
To increase coffee farming, the municipality has launched a ‘Whoever Planted’ campaign. He said that they have launched the ‘Coffee Plant, He Gets 20 Note’ campaign and have been providing subsidy at the rate of Rs 20 per plant by submitting the details to the Agriculture Branch. According to the same plan, a ‘Community-based One Ward, One Product’ program has been implemented in Ward No. 5 in partnership with the Bagmati Province government to make the coffee production campaign effective. Kul Prasad Dawadi, Chief of the Agricultural Development Office, said that the community-based One Ward, One Product program has been operating in Mahabharat Rural Municipality since last year, and this year, training on coffee processing technology has been provided to increase product quality and productivity in the coffee production sector.
He informed that the coffee production work in Mahabharat Rural Municipality has been advanced to the implementation stage by signing an agreement and is in the agreement stage in Khanikhola Rural Municipality. The Agriculture Office has stated that it will distribute 40,000 coffee seedlings this year alone and emphasize on quality coffee production by making the farming technology-friendly.
For this, the office head Dawadi said that farmers are being trained in pulping machines, tarpaulins for drying, and solving problems of diseases seen in coffee. This year, the provincial government is providing Rs. 3 million, the rural municipality and the farmers are sharing the cost of Rs. 5 million in coffee processing and distributing materials.
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